4-Gallon Countertop Gravity Water Filter System - Portable Alkaline Filtration System - Enjoy Clean and Mineral-Rich Hydration at Home, Office, or Travel

I will start by stating that I am not an employee of Zen, nor do I have any affiliation with them and am not receiving any form of payment or renumeration from them.I have well water which contains iron particles and sulphur (rotten egg) smell at times. The water is pre-filtered, as it comes into the house, using a 5 micron sediment filter, then through a water softener. The water at the tap still contains small particles of iron (which does not get trapped by the 5 micron sediment filter) and occasional sulphur smell. The PH of the water at the tap is acid, in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 on the acid PH scale. The reason for purchasing the Zen water condititioning/filtering unit was because of the obvious iron residue after pre-filtering and softening and the metallic taste in the tap water, which affected coffee and tea making and made the tap water unpleasant to drink. The unpleasant metallic taste in our tap water affected the boiling food items such as pasta and potatoes, which absorb a lot of water. Because of this, we began using bottled water for cooking, coffee and tea making and drinking. This was getting quite expensive as well as the monumental hassle of carrying several gallons of water from the store to home each week. This is what prompted us to investigate water filtration systems. After thorough evaluation of many different systems, we decide that the Zen or Berkey would suit our needs. We opted for the Zen because the only difference seemed to be the fact that the Berkey would filter viruses (and the obvious cost difference). Since we don't live off-grid, nor drink from streams, lakes or ponds, we decided that we did not need the level of filtration from the Berkey. Our water is potable, except for the above stated reasons.After our Zen filter arrived, we thoroughly read through the instructions. The set up took about 30 minutes or so. We flushed through two full cycles of filtered water as instructed then tasted the water. There was no iron taste, nor was there any sulphur smell. The water was very good. The Zen filtering system worked exactly as advertised. In days subsequent, we used only the filtered water for drinking, coffee and tea. Also, we used only the filtered water for cooking. The taste of all items was definitely improved and no longer had that unpleasant metallic flavor. Even the our cake, bread and pizza dough (a major ingredient is water) was greatly improved to the point where we could taste the difference in the finished product.There are some reviews which complain about leaking spigots and 5 stage filter. In the case of the spigot, I'm sure it's possible to receive a faulty product, but I have found that dealing with Zen directly, they have a great customer service department. I was careful to assemble the spigot using properly the gaskets supplied. I have no issue with a leaky spigot. It does not leak.In the case of the 5 stage filter leaking, Initially, I had some difficulty in screwing the filter on to the filter ring so that it would not leak. I used some plumber's teflon tape. While it made screwing the filter onto the filter ring much easier, it did not totally prevent leaking. I thought that some type of washer or gasket between the filter and ring would work, however, since I was not able to find a pre-made washer or gasket of sufficient size at my local hardware store, I purchased a small sheet of gasket material. Using the filter as a template, made a gasket to fit the filter. Now it seals perfectly. The only other way the filter can leak is the following: The water in the top tank must be filtered through a .2 to .5 micron ceramic filter, which drips the water into a recess in the top of the 5 stage filter. As long as the water flows through the 5 stage filter at the proper rate (more quickly than the ceramic filter) the recess in the top of the 5 stage won't over flow and cause a leak around the filter ring. The flow rate through the 5 stage filter can be slowed by the small particles inside the filter settling, thereby causing the water dripping through, to become restricted. When this happens, I simply remove the 5 stage filter from the tank and rap it against my hand several times to shift the granules. When I do this, I notice an immediate increase in the flow of water through the 5 stage filter. Other than that, I have had no negative issues with the Zen filtering system. It works exactly as advertised. After using it for a few weeks, I am very happy with it. My water no longer has a metallic taste and the PH has increased to between 7 and 8 using standard water testing reagent.

I love it - the water tastes great! There's such mixed reviews on this, I almost didn't buy it. But, I'm glad I did.A few things you should know when you buy this - first is that it comes in pieces and requires some assembly. No tools or anything, but I was surprised when it arrived in a nice small compact box. It took about 5 minutes, it's easy, but just so you know you'll have to put it together.Next, we have super hard water - and to Zen's credit, it completely filters out all the rust in our water - which is amazing. However, there are some things to know if you have really hard well water (like we do!). First, is to prime the filter and the dome in filtered water. I didn't do this at first, but when I need to replace I will. Purchase some filter water and let it prime for 30 minutes in clean water. Second, if you have super hard water, it's a slow process. You are not going to have clean drinking water in 10 minutes. And the harder your water, the longer you'll wait.It is a slow filtration process, you have to be willing to wait for quality results (I mean, come on, it's going through EIGHT filters!!!!). It starts out slow (I think priming the filter and dome by letting them sit in water would speed this us though) and it does gradually get faster. I timed it by marking with a dry erase marker, but the 5th fill, we were seeing noticeably faster filtration. Keep in mind, it's osmosis that works with gravity, it's not a speed drip or forced drip, it's going to take some time, but it's so worth it!Likewise, the spout doesn't use force to push out the water, so it's slower to fill a cup or pitcher. And the lower the water in the tank, the lower the pressure is to come out the spout. (Again, it's gravity and pressure - it's not rocket science!)All in all, if you're patient enough to get it going and really want to have water that's healthy and doesn't take funny - this is a great product! The filter water is incredibly refreshing and I don't have to go to the store and fill up jugs anymore!